User accounts: FAQ

A user account determines how you interact with your PC and personalize it. For example, your account determines which apps, files, and folders you can use, the changes you can make to the PC, and your personal preferences, such as your Start screen layout, desktop background, or screen saver. If you create separate accounts for other people, they don't have to share the same settings, which means you can restrict access to your email inbox, social networking, and other files, and use different account pictures, colors, or desktop backgrounds for each account.

There are three types of accounts. Each type gives you a different level of control over the PC:

Administrator accounts provide the most control over a PC, and should be used sparingly. You probably created this type of account when you first started using your PC.

Standard accounts are for everyday use. If you're setting up accounts for other people on your PC, it's a good idea to give them standard accounts.

Child accounts are useful for parents who want to monitor or set limits on their child's PC use, with the Family Safety settings in Windows. For more info about Family Safety, see Set up Family Safety.

In addition to choosing one of these account types, you can also choose a sign-in method for each type: people can sign in to Windows with a Microsoft account, or a local account.

When you sign in to Windows with an email address and password, that's your Microsoft account. An administrator, a standard user, or a child can have a Microsoft account—signing in with an email address is the important part.

When you sign in with a Microsoft account, your PC is connected to cloud storage online and:

Your personal settings are synced to any Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 PCs you use, including your themes, language preferences, browser favorites, and most apps.

You can get apps in the Windows Store and use them on up to five Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 PCs. (Some apps require specific hardware or hardware settings.)

Your friends’ contact info and status automatically stay up to date from places like Outlook.com, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

You can get to and share your photos, documents, and other files from places like OneDrive, Facebook, and Flickr.

If you're not signing in to Windows using your email address, that's okay—you can set up a Microsoft account at any time. For more info, see Create a user account.

Yes. The first time you set up Windows, you created a user account. This account is automatically an administrator account so that you can finish setting up your PC and install any programs that you would like to use. When you add other accounts to your PC, however, they'll usually be standard accounts. Standard accounts are best for everyday use. The sign-in screen in Windows shows what accounts are set up on that PC.

If you have more than one account on your PC, you can switch to a different account without signing out or closing apps. To switch to a different account, follow these steps:

Open Start by swiping in from the right edge of the screen and then tapping Start. (Or, if you're using a mouse, point to the lower-left corner of the screen, move your mouse all the way into the corner, and then click Start.)

Tap or click your account picture, and then choose another account from the menu.

Yes, but only if you're using an administrator account. You can change someone's account type, or delete their account from the PC.

To edit account types on your PC

You must be signed in as an administrator to follow these steps.

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.(If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)

Tap or click Accounts, and then tap or click Other accounts.

Tap or click the account you want to change, and then tap or click Edit.

Tap or click the Account type box, choose an account type, and then tap or click OK.

To remove an account from your PC

You must be signed in as an administrator to follow these steps.

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.(If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)

Tap or click Accounts, and then tap or click Other accounts.

Tap or click the account you want to delete, and then tap or click Remove.

Tap or click Delete account and data.

This might take a few minutes, if the account has a lot of associated data.

A user account is a collection of information that tells Windows which files and folders you can access, what changes you can make to your computer, and your personal preferences, such as your desktop background or screen saver. User accounts let you share a computer with several people while having your own files and settings. Each person accesses his or her user account with a user name and password.

There are three types of accounts. Each type gives users a different level of control over the computer:

Standard accounts are for everyday computing.

Administrator accounts provide the most control over a computer and should only be used when necessary.

Guest accounts are intended primarily for people who need temporary use of a computer.

Yes. When you set up Windows, you'll be required to create a user account. This account will be an administrator account to allow you to set up your computer and install any programs that you would like to use. Once you have finished setting up your computer, we recommend that you use a standard user account for your everyday computing. The Welcome screen, where you log on to Windows, displays the accounts that are available on the computer and identifies the account type so you'll know if you're using an administrator or standard user account. For more information on why you should use a standard user account, see Why use a standard user account instead of an administrator account?

No. However, we recommend that you use a strong password. Using a password is one of the most important things you can do to help keep your computer secure. When your computer is protected with a password, only someone who knows the password can log on to it.

If you have more than one user account on your computer, you can switch to a different user account without logging off or closing programs, which is called Fast User Switching. To switch to a different user account, follow these steps:

Click the Start button , point to the arrow next to the Shut down button ,
and then click Switch User.

A user account is a collection of information that tells Windows what files and folders you can access, what changes you can make to the computer, and your personal preferences, such as your desktop background or color theme. User accounts make it so that you can share a computer with several people, but still have your own files and settings. Each person accesses their user account with a user name and password.

Each account type gives the user a different level of control over the computer. The standard account is the account to use for everyday computing. The administrator account provides the most control over the computer, and should only be used when necessary. The guest account is primarily for people who need temporary access to the computer. For more information, see What is a standard user account?, What is an administrator account?, and What is a guest account?

Yes. When you set up Windows, you'll be required to create a user account. This account will be an administrator account to allow you to set up your computer and install any programs that you would like to use. Once you have finished setting up your computer, we recommend that you use a standard user account for your everyday computing. The Welcome screen, where you log on to Windows, displays the accounts that are available on the computer and identifies the account type so you'll know if you're using an administrator or standard user account. For more information on why you should use a standard user account, see Why use a standard user account instead of an administrator account?

No. However, we recommend that you use a strong password. Using a password is one of the most important things you can do to help keep your computer secure. When your computer is protected with a password, only someone who knows the password can log on to it.

A user group is a collection of user accounts that all have the same security rights. The two most common user groups are the standard user and the administrator, but there are others. If you have an administrator account, you can create custom user groups, move accounts from one group to another, and add accounts or remove them from different groups. When you create a custom user group, you can choose which rights to assign.

A user account is often referred to by the user group it is in (for example, an account in the standard group is called a standard account). A single account can be a member of more than one group.